Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the K_odnica and Rawa rivers. Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km from the Silesian Beskids and about 100 km from Sudetes Mountains.
Katowice is the main city of the Upper Silesian Industry Area and the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union. Its population is 317,220 (2006), within a greater urban area populated by about 3.5 million people.

Katowice is a large coal and steel centre. It has several coal mines organized into unions - Katowice Coal Holdingcompany, two steelworks, and one foundry of non-ferrous metals.

Katowice Business Centre (Katowickie Centrum Biznesowe)
Katowice is also a large business and trade fair centre. Every year in Katowice International Fair and Spodek, tens of international trade fairs are organized. Katowice has the second largest business centre in Poland (after Warsaw Bussines Centre). Skyscrapers stand along Chorzowska and Korfantego street in thye centre of the city. The newest office buildings (A-class) in Katowice are the Chorzowska 50 and Altus Skyscraper.

Katowice is the seat of Katowice Special Economic Zone (Katowicka Specjalna Strefa Ekonomiczna).

The unemployment rate in Katowice is one of the lowest in Poland, at 5.4% (in 2006), according to the official figures.